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Issue: 29
December 2013
MRMPO and MRCOG Transportation News

MRMPO Continues to Solicit Feedback through its Futures 2040 Questionnaire
 
The Mid-Region  Metropolitan Planning Organization (MRMPO) is kicking off the 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Futures 2040. An essential part of this plan is learning what people think of transportation today and how it should serve us in the future. This plan looks at travel in the central New Mexico region from southern Sandoval County to all of Bernalillo and Valencia Counties. Please provide your perspective and take the short public questionnaire by January 17:  http://tinyurl.com/2040MTP.
                                       
The questionnaire is also available in hard copy (English or Spanish) by contacting Julie Luna at 505-724-3639 or jluna@mrcog-nm.gov. 
Futures 2040 Kick Off Meetings Held in November
Three public meetings were held in early November to introduce the general public to the region's long-range transportation plan, Futures 2040, that is now officially under development.
 
A short presentation was given at each meeting and can be viewed here.



Information boards covering the major topic and focus areas of Futures 2040 were on display. Those can also be viewed here(on the right-hand side of the page, under "Kickoff  Meeting Materials").
   

Even if you weren't at the meetings, you can still help us determine what our regional transportation challenges and needs are by completing our questionnaire:   

 

2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan - Public Questionnaire 

 
In addition, MRMPO staff are available for presenting on Futures 2040 to any community group, organization, etc. If you are interested in having us

present the plan to your organization, contact Julie Luna at 505-724-3639.

Climate Change Scenario Planning Project
MRCOG was recently selected to participate in a study to consider how climate change analysis can be integrated into the long-range transportation and land use planning process.The Central New Mexico Climate Change Scenario Planning Project will assess the costs and benefits of a series of growth scenarios to determine how best to manage congestion, reduce emissions, and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The region was selected in part due to its arid climate that is vulnerable to droughts and wildfires and air quality concerns related to mobile-source emissions. The project is a partnership among MRCOG, the Federal Highway Administration, and federal land management areas including the Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and will build upon the analysis conducted as part of the 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Futures 2040. The project also provides funding support for the development of alternative growth scenarios and for incorporating environmental and natural resource variables into MRCOG's modeling environment. Work is under way to identify the impacts that climate change may have on the central New Mexico region, with particular emphasis on how water resource availability may vary depending on changes in temperature and precipitation levels.
New Commuting Data Available
A recent release from the U.S. Census Bureau allows us to gain insight into small area commuting patterns and characteristics between 2006 and 2010. This dataset is called the Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP), and it is a special tabulation produced in partnership with the Department of Transportation, MPOs, and others that provides detailed data related to work trips in the United States. It is of particular value to transportation planners because they can query information based on place of residence (part 1), place of work (part 2), and flows between specific origins and destinations (part 3). The data includes means of transportation, time leaving for work, time arrived, and vehicles per household. In addition, this data can be cross-tabulated by a host of demographic characteristics such as age, race, income and poverty.
 
For an example of what we can do with CTPP data, let's take a look at commute time data. A quick look at the City of Albuquerque shows that the average commute time for residents is 21.2 minutes. However, when we look at small areas we see some big differences. For example, the average travel time for residents living downtown is 19 minutes, while residents of the northwest quadrant have an average travel time of 32.1 minutes. We can also look at commute times by workplace, so for example, we know that the average commute time for workers in the Journal Center area is 24.7 minutes. We also know that commuters who ride the bus to North I-25 have an average commute time of 45.6 minutes.
 
For more about this dataset or to access the data go to http://data5.transportation.org. If you'd like to speak with someone at MRCOG about the data, or to request training on the software, contact Kendra Watkins at 724-3601.
MRCOG ITS Subcommittee Updates
The ITS Subcommittee is currently working with the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) and ITS Bureau to expand the data reporting capabilities of the ITS Traffic Management Center and the Courtesy Patrol's dispatch/radio log in order to identify potential opportunities to improve roadway incident and response times and first responder/agency coordination, referred to as "Traffic Incident Management" or TIM. Doing so will help improve roadway crash clearance times. This effort is coordinated with a Federal Highway Administration initiative called "Train the Trainer," which provides training to key staff in the responder community to improve transportation and first responder coordination "on scene" where communication and the sharing of information can save critical moments in responding to vehicle emergencies and crashes. This program has been successful across the country and the committee envisions that the benefits of improving incident coordination among responders will result in similar improvements to the safety and smooth operations on the local transportation system. More information on the program can be found here.

In addition, there are new ITS stakeholder members from the expanded Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area (AMPA) boundaries which the ITS Subcommittee welcomes: Valencia County and the City of Belen.

And finally, the chair of the ITS Subcommittee, Tony Abbo, PE, PTOE, is retiring at the end of December after 25 years of faithful service to the NMDOT and participation on numerous MRCOG committees. Tony has been a dedicated and strong advocate for ITS in the region. He has been the chair of the ITS Subcommittee for the past two years, tirelessly leading the efforts of expansion and promotion of integrated ITS in the AMPA. His duties will be taken over by Charles Remke, PE, NMDOT ITS Bureau.
December Calendar
Association of Pedestrian and
Bicycle 
Professionals webinar--
Integrating Equity in Bicycle and
Pedestrian Planning
Dec. 18,
1-2:00pm
MRCOG 1st Floor
Conference Room
Metropolitan Transportation Board
(MTB) meeting - cancelled



Rio Metro Board meeting - cancelled




Transportation News and Information

Santa on the Train & Santa's Village Event
On Saturday, December 14, a very special guest will make an appearance on the NM Rail Runner Express! Direct from the North Pole, Santa will visit with passengers on the #702 northbound train departing Belen at 8:28 a.m. (Santa will board in Albuquerque), then disembark at the Santa Fe Depot for an afternoon of free family fun. 
 
Join Santa at the Santa Fe Railyard from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for crafts, games, miniature train rides and more. Following the event, ride back with him on the #705 southbound train departing Santa Fe at 3:28 p.m. (Santa will exit the train in Albuquerque).
 
Designing Streetscapes for Play

A thesis by a recent graduate of the UNM Masters of Landscape Architecture Program asks the question: what if we designed our streetscapes to be more intriguing for children? Can we help children better connect to their communities through the design of our streetscapes while countering problems like "nature deficit disorder"? The thesis included a conceptual reworking of public space in Nob Hill in a way that would make it more inviting to our youngest community members.  

 

Study Finds the Air is Worse around our Busiest Roads
A University of New Mexico study has found that more people in the U.S. than was previously thought live near busy roads, which is not good news as those people have a higher risk of developing certain illnesses and health problems such as cancer, cardiovascular illness and respiratory issues. The study found that across the country, nearly 20 percent of Americans live near a high-volume road (defined as a road with over 25,000 vehicle trips per day) and that of this population,  low income and minority residents are over-represented. In Bernalillo, 250,000 residents live near high-volume roads. 
Parking Requirements Across the U.S.
The ratio of office space to parking spaces is higher in Albuquerque than many other U.S. cities according to this visualization of parking requirements across the U.S. It has been claimed that parking requirements that are not carefully thought out can lead to more sprawl, unfriendly pedestrian environments, and lower transit usage rates, not to mention higher costs for each square foot of office space.
 

MRMPO Staff Contact Information

 

Aaron Sussman, Transportation Planner                              

asussman@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Andrew Gingerich, GIS Analyst

agingerich@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Barbara Thomas, Program Support Coordinator   

bthomas@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Caeri Thomas, Transportation Planner                                      

cthomas@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Daniel Jimenez, Transportation Planner                                 

djimenez@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Dave Pennella, Transportation Program Manager    

dpennella@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Eric Webster, Transportation Planner

ewebster@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Julie Luna, Transportation Planner                                                 

jluna@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Kendra Watkins, Socioeconomic Program Manager            

kwatkins@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Nathan Masek, Transportation Planner                                

nmasek@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Shohreh Day, GIS/Systems Analyst                                          

sday@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Steven Montiel, Transportation Planner                               

smontiel@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Tara Cok, Transportation Planner                                          

tcok@mrcog-nm.gov 

 

Thaddeus Lucero, Director of Planning                                  

 tlucero@mrcog-nm.gov